A suspect in Memphis, Tennessee, was taken into custody after he allegedly tried to set a local hospital and police officers on fire over the weekend.
WREG reported on Monday:
Memphis Fire Department responded to a fire at Methodist South in Whitehaven around 3 p.m. on Sunday evening. An investigation began after MFD declared the cause [of the] fire as intentional. Witnesses told investigators that Devonta Willis got upset inside the emergency department of the hospital and used a lighter to set a mattress on fire.
According to the Shelby County, Tennessee, inmate lookup page, Willis was charged with resisting official detention, 59 counts of aggravated arson, and vandalism.
The listing said there was no bond information regarding the inmate.
According to law enforcement, when the fire began spreading, the suspect allegedly opened valves on nearby oxygen tanks “with the intention of blowing up the entire hospital.”
The National Park Service website said oxygen use has been connected to nearly 200 house fires, 46 deaths, and 60 citizens being hurt every year.
The agency described oxygen as a “powerful oxidizer” that becomes an accelerant. This causes flames to grow and spread quickly.
In its advice to firefighters, the agency said, “Fires burn hotter and faster in oxygen-rich environments, and combustible materials such as hair, plastic, oils, clothing, and furniture catch fire at lower temperatures than usual.”
“If you know oxygen therapy is being used in a residence, consider the location of the bottle currently in use, as well as spare and empty bottle storage. Factor that into your complete situational size-up of the fire,” the website read.
Hospital employees and patients were able to evacuate the building, and officers helped push hospital beds to a safe area outside.
“When officers tried to detain Willis, they say he was combative and tried to set them on fire,” the WREG report said, adding no one reported any injuries after the incident.
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